The 48th Annual Meeting of the IWC
in Aberdeen, UK1996

IWC/48/SEST1

SUMMARY OF THE JSTCW DISCUSSIONThe Government of Japan
1996

1.

RECOGNITION OF THE CULTURAL
NEED FOR MINKE WHALING AND
THE DISTRESS CAUSED BY THE
MORATORIUM

However, any interim relief allocation has not yet been
granted to the four Japanese coastal communities. This was
because of the partial commercial elements in the Japanese
small-type whaling operations and because of the concerns
expressed by some delegations that the interim relief
allocation would be construed as a resumption ofcommercial whaling. In order to address these concerns,
the GOJ has been making every step possible in its efforts,
since the 45th IWC Annual Meeting in Kyoto, to reorganise
temporarily the JSTCW into a Community-based Whaling(CBW) for the management of an interim relief allocationof 50 minke whales so long as the moratorium remains inplace. In the CBW, whale products are expected to bedistributed and consumed in the least commercial waypossible. This approach reflects sincere wishes of thecommunity people to resume minke whaling despite thefact that monetary system has been the integral part of theirlifestyle since the time immemorial. (See Table)
The first Action Plan for CBW was tabled at the 45th
Annual Meeting in Kyoto (IWC/45/SEST3). This action
plan showed the framework that the products of whaling
would be exclusively distributed and consumed in the four
whaling communities.
In order to address the comments and concerns
expressed at the 45th and 46th IWC meeting, the GOJ
elaborated and further improved the distribution andconsumption part (IWC/46/31 Rev.2) of the framework
action plan (IWC/46/SEST4). The action plan would haveestablished a management Council in each CBWcommunity which would distribute whale products throughnon-market channel without creating any profit from thedistribution and consumption of an interim allocation of50 minke whales.
At the 47th IWC meeting in Dublin, the GOJ integrated
the two previous plans into a consolidated regime (IWC/47/46). Although an interim relief allocation itself was notgranted, this action plan was recognised by the Commission“as constructive management elements in accordance with
IWC regulations” in its resolution (IWC Resolution 1995-3).

Minke whaling was the critical component of theJapanese small-type coastal whaling (JSTCW) until the1982 moratorium took effect in 1987. Without minke
whaling, the four whaling communities, (Abashiri,Ayukawa, Wada and Taiji) which are identified byanthropologists as primary heirs of Japanese whaling
tradition, have been suffering from the overall decline of
the community.
Minke whaling was the key element of economic, socialand cultural activities of these communities. Given thegeographical remoteness and limited infrastructure, attempts
to introduce alternative economic activities, including
tourism, have not been successful. Without attractive jobopportunities, the community people, especially the young,are obliged to leave the communities, thereby jeopardising
the vitality of the communities. For example, the populationof Ayukawa now is even less than half of that in 1955. The
moratorium also deprived the community of the integral
feature of the ceremonial and seasonal activities,
disintegrating the communal identity and spiritual backboneof the society.
The need of minke whaling and the distress of thecommunities without it were extensively documented byvarious scholars from all over the world. The papers werepresented to the IWC and the Working Groups fordiscussion over the issue which has been existing since1986. Based upon the documents presented, the plight ofthe communities was recognised by the 45th IWC in 1993
by a Resolution IWC/45/51. It resolved “to work
expeditiously to alleviate the distress to these communities
which has resulted from the cessation of minke whalingat” the next 46th Annual Meeting.

2.

INTERIM RELIEF ALLOCATION AND
AN ACTION PLAN FOR ITSMANAGEMENT

3.

In order to alleviate the distress of the communities,
pending the resumption of commercial whaling, the GOJ
has been repeating its request for an interim relief allocation
since the 40th IWC Annual Meeting in Auckland, NewZealand, 1988. Especially, since the 42nd Annual Meeting,
the GOJ has been continuously asking for 50 minke whales
as an interim relief allocation; this year marks the seventh
year in which the GOJ makes such a request to the IWC.

THE TIME IS OVERDUE FOR THE IWC
TO GRANT AN INTERIM RELIEF
ALLOCATION OF 50 MINKE WHALES

Arguments as to the appropriateness of granting 50
minke whales to the people of these four coastal whaling
communities must take into account of the cultural,
historical and geographical background which compose
rationale for their minke whaling.

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IWC/48/SEST1

Table:The Evolution of the proposed Action Plans for the Management of an Interim
Relief Allocation

Year

Main Feature

IWC Doc. Number

Concept of Noncommerciality

45th IWC(1993)

Whale products would be exclusively distributedand consumed within the four CBWcommunities.

IWC/45/SEST3

No marketing of whale
products outside the CBWcommunities.

46th IWC(1994)

The framework Plan was proposed in 1993; thedistribution and consumption section was added
IWC/46/SEST4
in the new Action Plan for 1994, ensuring theuse of whale products be strictly limited within(IWC/45/SEST3 REV.)the communities under the survailance of localandManagement Councils. Councils would collectIWC/46/31 Rev.2
levies (local Council tax) from the recipients ofwhale products.

In addition to the previous
year's Action Plan,
distribution through nonmarket channel aremanaged by the Council. No
profit to be accrued bywhaling; only costs ofcatches to be reimbursed.

47th IWC(1995)The previous year's Action Plans wereintegrated into a more sophisticated form.
Penalties are strenghthened upon the violatorsof the rules of Action Plan.

In addition to the previous
Action Plans, penalties
would be exercised by theGOJ.

Biologically, the stock of North Pacific minke whales
from which these communities are requesting their catches
will be harvestable without any adverse effects to the stockor to the other stock alleged to have been mixing with thetarget stock under the regime by which whaling season areregulated (48th IWC Scientific Committee Report, Section
14,4,2). These scientific findings have been brought forward
by the two consecutive researches conducted in the years
1994 and 1995 by the Japanese scientists under special
permit issued by the GOJ pursuant to Article VIII of theICRW.
Given these historical and scientific background, theGOJ again proposes a Schedule amendment to insert thefollowing paragraph after paragraph 13:
Notwithstanding the provision ofparagraph 10, the taking of 50 minke
whales from the Okhotsk Sea - West Pacificstock of the North Pacific in the 1996
season is permitted in order to alleviate thehardship in the community-based whalingcommunities.
This Schedule amendment is expected to alleviate, as
an interim measure, the difficulty imposed upon the fourJapanese coastal whaling communities. They have sufferedlong enough. It is a high time now for all Commission

IWC/47/46

members to search their souls to act promptly to alleviate
the distress suffered in the four Japanese coastalcommunities.
The Government of Japan expresses its strong sentimentthat the positive consideration on the Japanese communitybased whaling is long overdue without fairness by theCommission. At this 48th Annual Meeting, there are two
new requests for Aboriginal/Subsistence whaling quotas
put forward by the two eminent member nations of the IWC.
As evidenced in the 37 reports of the anthropological,
socio-scientific and statistical in-depth researches by theinternational experts (Ref. the green book containing
collection of reports distributed at this meeting entitled“Papers on JSTCW submitted to the IWC, 1986-1995”)
the Japanese community-based whaling has deep-seatedsimilarities shared with those Aboriginal/Subsistence
whaling. Despite these similar characteristics, the Interim
Relief Allocation for the JSTCW and CBW has not been
considered positively by the Commission for eight
consecutive years since 1988. The Government of Japan inagreement with the recognition by the United Nations ofequal human rights, seize this opportunity to urge theCommission to take affirmative actions to grant an interim
relief allocation of 50 minke whales to alleviate the distressof the CBW communities.

296